In Mardin, 9 places of worship from ancient times in the region called Tur Abdin by the Assyrians have been included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List. The Assyrian community, which expects historical places of worship to be included in the permanent list, thinks that this way their existence will be saved from extinction.
Tur Abdin, which means ‘the mountain of the servants of God’, is the most important cultural and belief center of the Assyrians in the region. Mor Gabriel Monastery, the oldest surviving Syriac Orthodox Monastery in the world, is also located in this region.
9 Syriac places of worship in this region were included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List. In the announcement titled ‘Late ancient and medieval churches and monasteries in Midyat and its surroundings’; It was announced that Mor Sobo Church, Virgin Mary Church, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, Mor Gabriel Monastery, Mor Abai Monastery, Mor Loozor Monastery, Mor Yakup Monastery, Mor Quryaqos Church and Mor Azozo Church were included in the tentative list with the decision dated April 15, 2021.
In the announcement on UNESCO’s website, the rationale for the decision was explained as follows; ”The selected components contain all the key attributes, with their structural integrity and originality. Churches and monasteries in the Tur Abdin region, selected for inclusion on the tentative list, remain in their original locations to this day. The settlement, environment, architectural order and building forms have survived to the present day without any significant changes. They represent the integrity and distinctly represent uniform character of this building type. Buildings from the Late Antiquity have been largely preserved and preserve their originality and integrity in terms of plan types, architectural ornamentation and building techniques.”
Decision Makes Assyrians Happy
Evgin Türker, the President of the Federation of Assyrian Associations, evaluated the decision in VOA Turkish and said that they were pleased with the decision. Türker stated that the decision was not only for the benefit of the Assyrians but also for the benefit of the whole of Turkey and that historical monuments would be protected in this way. Saying that they expect the region to be included in the permanent list, Türker said, “There were nearly 300 monasteries in this region. Many of them were ruined and destroyed. The monasteries, which are under the protection of UNESCO, are still standing, people still live there. It is good that these are taken under UNESCO protection. Assyrians built it, it is named after them, but these are the heritage of the region, Turkey and all people. Protecting them really makes us happy. It also makes people happy here. These can attract tourists, which already do. This is positive for the peoples of the region, of course, we expect them to be included in the permanent list.”
“We Want It To Be On The Permanent List”
Mardin Metropolitan Saliba Özmen stated that the decision will revive tourism in the region. Speaking to VOA Turkish, Özmen pointed out that his expectation is for the works to be included in the permanent list. Özmen said, ”We will be more pleased if it’s included in the permanent list. They will have valuable, material and moral contributions to our country, region and heritage. It will have significant advantages, especially in terms of tourism and faith tourism. On the one hand, it will be protected by UNESCO, on the other hand, it will strengthen tourism for our country. Other historical artifacts should also be included in the list. They also need to survive. There are many historical monuments in Turkey. Unfortunately, some of them are in a very bad situation and their protection is very important for the wealth of our country.”
How Does the Process Work?
Within the scope of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the states parties are obliged to submit their inventoriesof the assets eligible for inscription on the World Heritage List to the UNESCO World Heritage Center. The candidacy files prepared for the properties included in this list published by the UNESCO World Heritage Center are submitted to the World Heritage Committee. While preparing the Tentative Lists, the status of the assets meeting the criteria determined by the World Heritage Committee and their architectural, historical, aesthetic and cultural, economic, social, symbolic and philosophical characteristics are also taken into consideration.
UNESCO helps the listed monuments raise awareness among societies and governments, while providing financial support for their preservation. (Amerika’nın Sesi)
